Joe Root was officially announced as England’s new Test captain on Thursday (July 31). The right-handed batter from Yorkshire, who stepped down from the role in 2022, was preferred for the top job over white-ball captain Harry Brook. The decision to reappoint Root as Test captain drew mixed reactions from England greats, but in an interview, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Managing Director Rob Key explained the reason behind choosing Root over Brook.
According to Key, who played 15 Tests, five ODIs and one T20I for England between 2002 and 2009, it was “too soon” to hand the Test captaincy to Brook.
Key revealed that he had discussions with England’s new Test head coach Stephen Fleming, and they both agreed that Root was the right man to
lead England in the five-day format.
“In an ideal world, what you want is the coach has a say in a captain,” Key said.
“Coach first, then you work out the captain – I explained that to anyone that had a chance of becoming England captain.”
“During the process, you are obviously speaking to different coaches and (the captaincy) is one of the questions you start asking, getting a feel for where they are at. Stephen and I spoke a lot about who we felt the best person was.”
“It’s just too soon for Harry Brook. This feels the right time for Joe Root. He has the chance to work with what I believe is the best coach that will complement him as well. Those two will be a great complementary pairing to take England forward. He is our best-ever batter, and now has the chance to captain the side without any of the stuff he had to deal with last time. I’m just so glad he gets that chance,” he added.
Despite overlooking Brook for the captaincy, Key believes the right-handed batter will be an outstanding Test captain for England in the future.
“I think he (Brook) is still developing as a player and a person, really.”
“The Test match job is the biggest job in cricket in England. I think that it is perfect now with Joe where he can take this ship forward as the most senior player by a long way, and Harry can continue on the project he has done in the white-ball job, and continue learning to become an outstanding leader of a cricket team.”
“You’ve got the 2027 World Cup, all of those things. At some stage, Harry Brook will be an outstanding Test captain of England cricket. It just doesn’t feel the time was right now.”
